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January 1
The preceding day is December 31 of the previous year. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Here a calendar year refers to the order in which the months are displayed, January to December. The first day of the medieval Julian year was usually a day other than January 1. This day was adopted as the first day of the Julian year by some European countries between 1522 and 1579 (that is, before the creation of the Gregorian calendar in 1582). See beginning of the year. The British Empire (including its American colonies) did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752. This change can lead to dating confusion between Old Style and New Style dates. The Gregorian calendar as promulgated in 1582 did not specify that January 1 was to be either New Year's Day or the first day of its numbered year. Although England began its numbered year on March 25 (Lady Day) between the thirteenth century and 1752, January 1 was called New Year's Day, which was a holiday when gifts were exchanged. New Year The Ancient Romans began their year on 1 January. During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Christian Church, many countries moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals - 25 December (the Nativity of Jesus), 1 March, 25 March (the Annunciation), or even Easter. Eastern European countries (most of them with populations showing allegiance to the Orthodox Church) began their numbered year on 1 September from about 988. In England 1 January was celebrated as the New Year festival,Tuesday 31 December 1661, Pepys Diary "I sat down to end my journell for this year, ..." but from the 12th century to 1752 the year in England began on 25 March (Lady Day). Nørby, Toke. The Perpetual Calendar: What about England Version 29 February 2000 So for example the Parliamentary record records the execution of Charles I occurring in 164'8', (as the year did not end until 24 March,) although modern histories adjust the start of the year to January 1 and record the execution as occurring in 164'9'.Death warrant of Charles I web page of the UK National Archives.A demonstration of New Style meaning Julian calendar with a start of year adjustment. Most Western European countries changed the start of the year to 1 January before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example Scotland changed the start of the Scottish New Year to 1 January in 1600. England, Ireland and the British colonies changed the start of the year to 1 January in 1752. Later that year in September the Gregorian calendar was introduced throughout Britain and the British colonies (See the section Adoption). These two reforms were implemented by the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750. In the 9th century, 25th March (the Feast of the Annunciation) was used in parts of southern Europe as the start of a new year. The practice became more widespread in Europe from the 11th century and in England from the late 12th. 1st January started to be used as the start of the year followed: * 1522 Venice * 1544 Holy Roman Empire (Germany) * 1556 Spain, Portugal, Roman Catholic (southern) Netherlands * 1559 Prussia, Denmark, Sweden * 1564 France * 1579 Lorraine * 1583 Protestant (northern) Netherlands * 1600 Scotland * 1725 Russia * 1721 Tuscany * 1752 Britain and its colonies Events * 153 BC - Roman consuls begin their year in office. * 45 BC - The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time. * 404 - The last known gladiator competition in Rome takes place. * 630 - Prophet Muhammad sets out toward Mecca with the army that will capture it bloodlessly. * 990 - Kievan Rus' adopts the Julian calendar. *1259 - Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris. *1438 - Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary. *1515 - King Francis I of France succeeds to the French throne. *1527 - Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I of Austria as king of Croatia in the Parliament on Cetin. *1600 - Scotland begins using the Julian calendar. *1651 - Charles II is crowned King of Scotland. *1660 - Samuel Pepys starts his diary. *1673 - Regular mail delivery begins between New York and Boston. *1700 - Russia begins using the Julian calendar. *1707 - John V is crowned King of Portugal. *1739 - Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier. *1772 - The first traveller's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities, go on sale in London for the first time. *1781 - 1,500 soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebelled against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown as part of the Pennsylvania (Continentals; Regiment) Mutiny of 1781. *1788 - First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published. *1797 - Albany replaces Kingston as the capital of New York State. *1800 - The Dutch East India Company ceases to exist. *1801 - The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. * 1801 - Dwarf planet Ceres is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi. *1803 - Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam *1804 - French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black republic and first country independent in the West Indies. *1806 - The French Republican Calendar is abolished. *1808 - The importation of slaves into the United States is banned. *1818 - Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus is published. *1833 - United Kingdom claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. *1845 - The Cobble Hill Tunnel, in Brooklyn, was finished. *1861 - Porfirio Díaz conquers Mexico City. *1863 - American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory. * 1863 - The first claim under the Homestead Act is made by Daniel Freeman for a farm in Nebraska. *1870 - First edition of The Northern Echo newspaper is published. *1876 - The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. *1877 - Queen Victoria of Britain is proclaimed Empress of India. *1880 - Ferdinand de Lesseps begins French construction of the Panama Canal. *1887 - Queen Victoria is proclaimed empress of India in Delhi. *1890 - The first Tournament of Roses is held in Pasadena. * 1890 - First use of football goal nets in England. * 1890 - Eritrea consolidates into a colony by the Italian government. *1892 - Ellis Island opens to begin accepting immigrants to the United States. *1893 - Japan begins using the Gregorian calendar. *1894 - The Manchester Ship Canal, England, is officially opened to traffic. *1898 - New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, are joined on January 25 by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs. *1899 - Spanish rule ends in Cuba. * 1901 - the French rugby team play their first Test against the New Zealand All Blacks. * 1901 - Nigeria becomes a British protectorate. * 1901 - The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister. * 1901 - The first official Mummers Parade is held. *1902 - The first Rose Bowl game is played in Pasadena, with the University of Michigan beating Stanford University by a score of 49-0. *1906 - British India officially adopts the Indian Standard Time *1908 - For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York City's Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight. *1909 - Drilling began on the Lakeview Gusher. *1910 - Captain David Beatty was promoted to Rear Admiral, and became the youngest admiral in the Royal Navy, except for Royal family members, since Horatio Nelson. *1911 - Northern Territory is separated from South Australia and transferred to Commonwealth control. *1912 - The Republic of China is established. *1916 - German troops abandon Yaoundé and their Kamerun colony to British forces and begin the long march to Spanish Guinea. *1919 - Edsel Ford succeeded his father, Henry Ford, as president of the Ford Motor Company. *1920 - The Belorussian Communist Organisation is founded as a separate party. *1922 - The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly of Epidaurus. *1923 - Britains Railways are grouped into the Big Four, LNER, GWR, SR, LMSR. *1925 - The American astronomer Edwin Hubble announces the discovery of galaxies outside the Milky Way. *1927 - Turkey adopts the Gregorian calendar: December 18, 1926 (Julian), is immediately followed by January 1, 1927 (Gregorian). *1934 - Alcatraz Island becomes a United States federal prison. * 1934 - Nazi Germany passes the "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring". *1935 - Bucknell University wins the first Orange Bowl 26–0 over the University of Miami. *1937 - The first Cotton Bowl game is played in Dallas. TCU defeats Marquette University 16–6. * 1937 - Safety glass in windshields became mandatory in Great Britain. *1939 - The first Vienna New Year's Concert is held. * 1939 - William Hewlett and David Packard found Hewlett-Packard. * 1939 - Sydney, Australia swelters in 45˚C (113˚F) heat, a record for the city. *1942 - The Declaration by the United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations. * 1942 - The U.S. Office of Production Management prohibited sales of new cars and trucks to civilians. *1945 - In retaliation of the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops massacre 30 SS prisoners at Chenogne. *1946 - The first civil flight from Heathrow Airport occurs. *1947 - The American and British occupation zones in Germany, after the World War II, merge to form the Bizone, that later became the Federal Republic of Germany. *1948 - British railways are nationalised to form British Rail. * 1948 - After partition, India declines to pay the agreed share of Rs.550 million in cash balances to Pakistan. * 1948 - The Constitution of Italy comes into force. *1949 - The British Nationality Act 1948 comes into force. * 1949 - United Nation cease-fire orders to operate in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly. *1950 - The state of Ajaigarh acceded to the Government of India. *1956 - The Republic of the Sudan achieves independence from the Egyptian Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. *1957 - George Town became a city by a royal charter granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. *1958 - The European Community is established. *1959 - Cultivars of plants named after this date must be named in a modern language, not in Latin. * 1959 - Fulgencio Batista, president of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces during the Cuban Revolution. *1960 - The Republic of Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. *1962 - Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa. * 1962 - United States Navy SEALs established. *1964 - The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into the independent republics of Zambia and Malawi, and the British-controlled Rhodesia. *1965 - The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan was founded in Kabul. *1966 - A twelve day New York City transit strike begins. * 1966 - After a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa assumes power as president of the Central African Republic. *1970 - Unix time begins. *1971 - Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television. *1972 - Austrian diplomat Kurt Waldheim assumes as Secretary General of the United Nations. *1973 - The Kingdom of Denmark, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland are admitted into the European Community. *1978 - Air India Flight 855 Boeing 747 explodes and crashes into the sea off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * 1978 - The Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands becomes effective. *1979 - Formal diplomatic relations are established between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America. *1980 - Victoria is crowned princess of Sweden. *1981 - The Republic of Greece is admitted into the European Community. * 1981 - The Republic of Palau achieves self-government though it is not independent from the United States. *1982 - Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary General of the United Nations. *1983 - The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet. *1984 - AT&T is broken up into twenty-two independent units. * 1984 - The Sultanate of Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. *1985 - The Internet's Domain Name System is created. * 1985 - The first British mobile phone call is made by Ernie Wise to Vodafone. *1986 - Aruba becomes independent of Curaçao, though it remains in free association with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. * 1986 - The Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic are admitted into the European Community. *1988 - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. *1989 - The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer comes into force. *1990 - David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City's first black mayor. *1993 - Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic. * 1993 - A single market within the European Community is introduced. *1994 - The Zapatista Army of National Liberation initiates twelve days of armed conflict in the Mexican State of Chiapas. * 1994 - The North American Free Trade Agreement comes into effect. * 1994 - The European Economic Area comes into effect. * 1994 - The International Tropical Timber Agreement comes into effect. *1995 - The World Trade Organization comes into effect. * 1995 - The Kingdom of Sweden and the republics of Austria and Finland are admitted into the European Union. * 1995 - The Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe becomes the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. * 1995 - The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves. * 1995 - Jean-Claude Juncker assumes as Prime Minister of Luxembourg. * 1995 - Firecrackers are banned in Vietnam on Tết because of safety reasons. *1996 - Curaçao gains limited self-government, though it remains within free association with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. *1997 - The Republic of Zaïre officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Zaïre. * 1997 - Ghanaian diplomat Kofi Annan assumes as Secretary General of the United Nations. *1998 - The European Central Bank is established. *1999 - The Euro currency is introduced. * 1999 - The Polish administrative region of Opole Voivodeship is created, out of the former Opole Voivodeship and parts of Częstochowa Voivodeship. *2000 - As the world celebrates, no major crisis arises from the dreaded Y2K computer 'millennium bug'. * 2000 - Hama Amadou assumes as Prime Minister of Niger. *2001 - Tommy Remengesau assumes as president of Palau. *2002 - Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in twelve of the European Union's member states. * 2002 - Taiwan officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Chinese Taipei. * 2002 - The Open Skies mutual surveillance treaty, initially signed in 1992, officially enters into force. *2003 - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva assumes as the President of Brazil. *2004 - In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf won 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, was "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007. *2006 - The Football Federation Australia moved from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation. *2007 - Bulgaria and Romania officially join the European Union. Also, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Irish become official languages of the European Union, joining 20 other official languages. *2007 - Adam Air Flight 574 disappears over Indonesia with 102 people on board. Births *766 - Ali al-Rida, Shia Imam (d. 818) *1431 - Pope Alexander VI (d. 1503) *1449 - Lorenzo de' Medici, Italian statesman (d. 1492) *1467 - Sigismund I the Old, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (d. 1548) *1484 - Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss Protestant leader (d. 1531) *1511 - Henry, Duke of Cornwall (d. 1511) *1516 - Margaret Leijonhufvud, Queen of Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1551) *1557 - István Bocskay, Prince of Transylvania (d. 1606) *1600 - Friedrich Spanheim, Dutch theologian (d. 1649) *1614 - John Wilkins, English Bishop of Chester (d. 1672) *1618 - Bartolomé Estéban Murillo, Spanish painter (d. 1682) *1638 - Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (d. 1685) *1648 - Elkanah Settle, English writer (d. 1724) *1655 - Christian Thomasius, German jurist (d. 1728) *1684 - Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch classical scholar (d. 1748) *1704 - Soame Jenyns, English writer (d. 1787) *1711 - Franz Freiherr von der Trenck, Austrian soldier (d. 1749) *1714 - Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian poet (d. 1780) *1735 - Paul Revere, American patriot (d. 1818) *1745 - Anthony Wayne, American general and statesman (d. 1796) *1750 - Frederick Muhlenberg, American statesman (d. 1801) *1752 - Betsy Ross, American seamstress (d. 1836) *1767 - Maria Edgeworth, Anglo-Irish novelist (d. 1849) *1774 - André Marie Constant Duméril, French zoologist (d. 1860) *1779 - William Clowes, English printer (d. 1847) *1803 - Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja, Italian mathematician (d. 1869) *1814 - Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebel (d. 1864) *1823 - Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet and revolutionary (d. 1849) *1833 - Robert Lawson, New Zealand architect (d. 1902) *1848 - John Goff, Irish lawyer (d. 1924) *1854 - Sir James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist (d. 1941) *1863 - Pierre de Coubertin, French Olympic Games initiator (d. 1937) *1864 - George Washington Carver, American educator (d. 1943) * 1864 - Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer (d. 1946) * 1864 - Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957) *1868 - Snitz Edwards, American actor (d. 1937) *1873 - Mariano Azuela, Mexican novelist (d. 1952) *1874 - Frank Knox, American Secretary of the Navy (d. 1944) * 1874 - Gustave Whitehead, German-born inventor (d. 1927) *1876 - Harriet Brooks, Canadian physicist (d. 1933) *1878 - Agner Krarup Erlang, Danish scientist and engineer (d. 1929) *1879 - E. M. Forster, English novelist (d. 1970) *1881 - Vajiravudh, King of Thailand (d. 1925) *1887 - Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (d. 1945) *1888 - John Garand, American inventor (d. 1974) *1890 - Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer (d. 1966) *1892 - Artur Rodziński, Croatian conductor (d. 1958) *1894 - Satyendra Nath Bose, Bengali mathematician (d. 1974) * 1894 - Shitsu Nakano, Japan's oldest person (d. 2007) *1895 - J. Edgar Hoover, American FBI director (d. 1972) *1900 - Xavier Cugat, Spanish musician (d. 1990) * 1900 - Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat (d. 1986) *1902 - Buster Nupen, South African cricketer (d. 1977) *1904 - Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani politician (d. 1982) * 1904 - Ethan Allen, American baseball player (d. 1993) *1905 - Stanisław Mazur, Polish mathematician (d. 1981) * 1905 - Kamatari Fujiwara, Japanese actor (d. 1985) *1906 - Giovanni D'Anzi, Italian songwriter (d. 1974) *1909 - Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992) * 1909 - Barry M. Goldwater, American politician (d. 1998) *1911 - Hank Greenberg, American baseball player (d. 1986) *1912 - Kim Philby, British spy (d. 1988) * 1912 - Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko, Russian mathematician (d. 1995) *1917 - Jule Gregory Charney, American meteorologist (d. 1981) * 1917 - Albert Mol, Dutch actor (d. 2004) *1918 - Patrick Anthony Porteous, Scottish Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2000) *1919 - J. D. Salinger, American novelist *1920 - Virgilio Savona, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra) *1921 - Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-born philosopher (d. 1986) *1922 - Rocky Graziano, American boxer (d. 1990) * 1922 - Ernest Hollings, American politician *1923 - Daniel Gorenstein, American mathematician (d. 1992) * 1923 - Milt Jackson, American jazz vibraphonist (d. 1999) *1925 - Matthew "Stymie" Beard, American actor (d. 1981) * 1925 - Valentina Cortese, Italian actress * 1925 - Raymond Pellegrin, French actor *1926 - Richard Verreau, French Canadian tenor (d. 2005) *1927 - Maurice Béjart, French choreographer * 1927 - Pat Heywood, Scottish born actress * 1927 - Calum MacKay, Canadian hockey player (d. 2001) * 1927 - Vernon L. Smith, American economist, winner * 1927 - Doak Walker, American football star (d. 1998) *1928 - Ernest Tidyman, American writer (d. 1984) *1930 - Hossain Mohammad Ershad, Bangladeshi politician *1932 - Jackie Parker, American football player (d. 2006) *1933 - Frederick Lowy, Canadian educator * 1933 - Joe Orton, English writer (d. 1967) *1937 - Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg, Polish author (d. 1995) *1938 - Clay Cole, Television Host and Producer * 1938 - Robert Jankel, British coachbuilder (d. 2005) * 1938 - Frank Langella American actor *1939 - Michèle Mercier, French actress *1942 - Martin Frost, American politician * 1942 - Country Joe McDonald, American musician (Country Joe and the Fish) * 1942 - Gennadi Sarafanov, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 2005) * 1942 - Alassane Ouattara, Former Prime Minister of Ivory Coast *1943 - Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, Indian scientist * 1943 - Don Novello, American actor * 1943 - Jimmy Hart, wrestling manager *1944 - Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani politician *1945 - Jacky Ickx, Belgian race car driver *1946 - Susannah McCorkle, American singer (d. 2001) * 1946 - Rivelino, Brazilian football player * 1946 - Carl B. Hamilton, Swedish economist and politician *1947 - Jon Corzine, American politician * 1947 - Paula Tsui, Hong Kong singer *1948 - Pavel Grachev, Russian general *1950 - Morgan Fisher, English musician (Mott the Hoople) *1951 - Rodger Bumpass, American actor (Squidward Tentacles) * 1951 - Ashfaq Hussain, Urdu poet * 1951 - Nana Patekar, Indian film and stage actor * 1951 - Hans Joachim Stuck, German-born race car driver *1953 - Greg Carmichael, British guitarist (Acoustic Alchemy) *1954 - Bob Menendez, American politician *1956 - Mark R. Hughes, American entrepreneur (d. 2000) * 1956 - Kôji Yakusho, Japanese actor *1957 - Ewa Kasprzyk, Polish actress * 1957 - Evangelos Venizelos, Greek lawyer, professor and politician *1958 - Grandmaster Flash, Barbados-born musician *1959 - Azali Assoumani, Comorian president * 1959 - Panagiotis Giannakis, Greek basketball player and coach * 1959 - Jennifer Edwards, American actress *1961 - Fiona Phillips, British television presenter * 1961 - Mark Wingett, British actor *1962 - Sophie Thompson, British actress * 1962 - Ari Up, German musician (The Slits) *1964 - Dedee Pfeiffer, American actress *1966 - Anna Burke, Australian politician *1967 - Derrick Thomas, American football player (d. 2000) * 1967 - John Digweed, English DJ * 1967 - Tim Dog, American rapper * 1967 - Juanma Bajo Ulloa, Spanish film director *1968 - Miki Higashino, Japanese composer * 1968 - Joey Stefano, American adult actor (d. 1994) * 1968 - Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer *1969 - Christi Paul, American news anchor * 1969 - Verne Troyer, American actor *1970 - Gabriel Jarret, American actor * 1970 - Shelley O'Donnell, Australian netballer * 1970 - Kimberly Page, American actress *1971 - Bobby Holik, Czech hockey player *1972 - Neve McIntosh, Scottish actress * 1972 - Lilian Thuram, French footballer *1974 - Catalina Guirado, English model and TV personality *1975 - Sonali Bendre, Indian model and actress * 1975 - Joe Cannon, American soccer player * 1975 - Eiichiro Oda, Japanese Manga artist *1976 - Vidya Balan, Indian actress * 1976 - Caleb Wyatt, American motocross rider *1977 - Keeley Hawes, British actress * 1977 - Hasan Salihamidžić, Bosnian footballer *1978 - Nina Bott, German actress * 1978 - Phillip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer * 1978 - Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, Indian spiritualist * 1978 - Tarik O'Regan, British composer *1979 - Brody Dalle, Australian singer (The Distillers) * 1979 - Koichi Domoto, Japanese artist *1980 - Elin Nordegren, Swedish model *1981 - Jonas Armstrong, Irish actor * 1981 - Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian race car driver * 1981 - Abdülkadir Koçak, Turkish boxer * 1981 - Eden Riegel, American actress *1982 - David Nalbandian, Argentinian tennis player *1983 - Calum Davenport, English footballer * 1983 - Emi Kobayashi, Japanese model *1984 - José Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian footballer * 1984 - Shareefa, American singer * 1984 - Michael Witt, Australian rugby league footballer *1985 - Steven Davis, Northern Irish footballer *1986 - Alexa Ray Joel, American musician *1987 - Devin Setoguchi, Professional hockey player *1987 - Gilbert Brule, Professional hockey player * 1987 - Meryl Davis, American ice dancer *1996 - Mary Gibbs, American actress Deaths *379 - Basil of Caesarea (b. 330) *404 - Saint Telemachus *874 - Hasan al-Askari, eleventh Shia Imam (b. 846) *898 - Odo, Count of Paris (b. 860) *962 - Baldwin III, Count of Flanders *1204 - Haakon III, King of Norway *1387 - Charles II, King of Navarre (b. 1332) *1515 - Louis XII, King of France (b. 1462) *1554 - Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador (b. 1500) *1559 - Christian III of Denmark and Norway (b. 1503) *1560 - Joachim du Bellay, French poet (bc. 1522) *1617 - Hendrik Goltzius, Dutch painter (b. 1558) *1679 - Jan Steen, Dutch painter (b. 1626) *1697 - Filippo Baldinucci, Florentine biographer/ historian (b. 1624) *1716 - William Wycherley, English dramatist (bc. 1640) *1730 - Samuel Sewall, English-born judge (b. 1652) *1742 - Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English statesman (b. 1686) *1748 - Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (b. 1667) *1759 - Jacques-Joachim Trotti, marquis de La Chétardie, French adventurer (b. 1705) *1766 - James Francis Edward Stuart, "The Old Pretender" (b. 1688) *1782 - Johann Christian Bach, German composer (b. 1735) *1789 - Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English politician (b. 1716) *1793 - Francesco Guardi, Venetian painter (b. 1712) *1796 - Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde, French mathematician (b. 1735) *1800 - Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French naturalist (b. 1716) *1817 - Martin Heinrich Klaproth, German chemist (b. 1743) *1862 - Mikhail Vasilievich Ostrogradsky, Russian physicist (b. 1801) *1869 - Martin W. Bates, American politician (b. 1786) *1892 - Roswell B. Mason, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805) *1894 - Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, German physicist (b. 1857) *1919 - Mikhail Drozdovsky, Russian general (b. 1881) *1921 - Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1856) *1931 - Martinus Beijerinck, Dutch microbiologist and botanist (b. 1851) *1933 - Harriet Brooks, Canadian physicist (b. 1876) *1940 - Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao, Indian writer and essayist (b. 1865) *1944 - Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (b. 1862) *1953 - Hank Williams, American singer (b. 1923) *1958 - Edward Weston, American photographer (b. 1886) *1960 - Margaret Sullavan, American actress (b. 1909) *1964 - Bechara El Khoury, President of Lebanon (b. 1890) *1966 - Vincent Auriol, French politician (b. 1884) *1969 - Barton MacLane, American actor (b. 1902) * 1969 - Bruno Söderström, Swedish athlete (b. 1888) *1971 - Saint Amphilochius of Pochayiv, Ukrainian Orthodox Christian Saint (b. 1894) *1972 - Maurice Chevalier, French actor and singer (b. 1888) *1982 - Victor Buono, American actor (b. 1938) *1984 - Alexis Korner, British blues musician (b. 1928) *1985 - Kamatari Fujiwara, Japanese actor (b. 1905) *1986 - Alfredo Binda, Italian cyclist (b. 1902) * 1986 - Bruce Norris, American hockey executive (Detroit Red Wings) (b. 1924) *1991 - Buck Ram, American songwriter and businessman (The Platters) (b. 1907) *1992 - Grace Hopper, American computer pioneer (b. 1906) *1994 - Arthur Espie Porritt, Baron Porritt, Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1900) * 1994 - Cesar Romero, American actor (b. 1907) *1995 - Fred West, British serial killer (suicide) (b. 1941) * 1995 - Eugene Paul Wigner, Hungarian physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1902) *1996 - Arleigh Burke, American admiral (b. 1901) * 1996 - Arthur Rudolph, German engineer (b. 1906) *1997 - Townes Van Zandt, American musician (b. 1944) * 1997 - Hagood Hardy, Canadian composer and musician (b. 1937) *1998 - Helen Wills Moody, American tennis player (b. 1905) *2000 - Colin Vaughan, Australian-born political journalist (b. 1931) *2001 - Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914) *2002 - Julia Phillips, American film producer (b. 1944) *2003 - Joe Foss, American politician and fighter pilot (b. 1915) * 2003 - F. William Free, American advertising executive (b. 1928) *2005 - Shirley Chisholm, American politician (b. 1924) * 2005 - Hugh Lawson, 6th Baron Burnham, British newspaperman (b. 1931) * 2005 - Bob Matsui, American politician (b. 1941) * 2005 - Eugene J. Martin, American painter, artist (b. 1938) *2006 - Harry Magdoff, American magazine editor (b. 1913) * 2006 - Hugh McLaughlin, Irish publisher and inventor (b. 1918) * 2006 - Bryan Harvey, American musician (House of Freaks) (b. 1956) *2007 - Leonard Fraser, Australian serial killer (b. 1951) * 2007 - Ernie Koy, American baseball player (b. 1909) * 2007 - Tillie Olsen, American writer (b. 1912) * 2007 - Del Reeves, American country singer (b. 1932) * 2007 - Darrent Williams, American football player (b. 1982) * 2007 - Leon Davidson, American scientist known for studying UFOs (b. 1922) * 2007 - Roland Levinsky, South African medical scientist (b. 1943) * 2007 - Tad Jones, American jazz music historian (b. 1952) * 2007 - Julius Hegyi, American conductor (b. 1923) * 2007 - A. I. Bezzerides, American novelist and screenwriter (b. 1908) Holidays and observances By observance * Many countries around the world using Gregorian calendar - New Year's Day; often celebrated at 0:01 with fireworks. *Last day of Kwanzaa *United States - Copyright Expiration Day, celebrating the expiration of the copyright of a , the Rose Bowl football championship. References External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- January 01